Academic Scholarship Fund

Three separate Academic Scholarship funds are now available; an Academic Scholarship, an Early Career Researcher Scholarship and a Return to Research Scholarship.

We are now accepting applications for the round of 2018 Academic Scholarships. Full details and link to application form can be found below.

A pdf copy of the following information is available to download at the bottom of this page.

Academic Scholarship Funds

The purpose of the SRF Scholarship Fund is to support non-statutory SRF members to develop and maintain their research programmes. Following consultation with our members, the SRF offers 3 separate Scholarship funds, an Academic Scholarship, an Early Career Researcher Scholarship and a Return to Research Scholarship.

Purpose of the Awards:

The types of activities that could be supported include (but are not limited to):

Small pump-priming grants to generate preliminary data for a full grant proposal

Travel and subsistence for a period of sabbatical leave

Bridging funds to help retain staff during gaps in grant funding

Support academic staff returning to research following maternity, adoption and/or shared parental leave.

Eligibility for Academic Scholarship:

The applicant must have an academic post and be continuing in that post for the duration of the award.

The applicant must be a current, fully-paid up full member of SRF and must have been a full member for at least 5 continuous years.

The applicant must be an active member of SRF (e.g. by attending conferences, membership of committees, publishing in Reproduction).

Academic Scholarship awardees must complete a further five years of continuous SRF membership before being eligible to receive another Academic Scholarship (i.e. only one award will be made per individual per 5 years of membership).

Only non-statutory members may apply for this award.

Eligibility for Early Career Researcher Scholarship:

The Applicant should be within the first 3 years of a tenured academic position at time of application and be continuing in that post for the duration of the award.

The Applicant must be a current, fully-paid up, full member of SRF and must have been a full member for at least 2 continuous years.

The applicant must be an active member of SRF (e.g. by attending conferences, membership of committees, publishing in Reproduction).

The Applicant cannot currently hold substantive funding (defined as sufficient to employ a postdoctoral researcher or technical support)

The applicant must complete a further 1 year of continuous SRF membership before being eligible to apply for the Academic Scholarship (i.e. only one award will be made per individual per 2 years of membership).

Only non-statutory members may apply for this award.

Eligibility for Return to Research Scholarship:

Applicants must have taken at least 6 months continuous maternity, adoption and/or shared parental leave. There is no maximal leave limit. Confirmation of duration of leave will be required from the applicant’s home institution.

Applicants must apply within 12 months of returning to work from maternity, adoption and/or shared parental leave.

Applicants must hold a permanent academic position and be continuing in that post for the duration of the award.

Applicants must be a current, fully-paid up, full member of SRF and must have been a full member for at least 2 continuous years.

Applicants must be an active member of SRF (e.g. by attending conferences, membership of committees, publishing in Reproduction).

Applicants who have previously received the Return to Research Scholarship may make additional applications when taking further maternity, adoption and/or shared parental leave.

The Scholarship cannot be used to cover the applicant’s salary, maternity pay or childcare costs.

Only non-statutory members may apply for this award.

Details of the Awards:

Eligible applicants may only apply for one Scholarship in any single year.

The maximum amount awarded will be £12,500.

The number of awards made each year will depend on the quality of the applications received and the financial position of the society.

The society reserves the right not to make any awards in any given year if the quality of applications does not meet the required standards.

Funds will be paid to the applicant’s institution.

Funds awarded are final, do not include overheads and are not subject to appeal.

Incomplete or late applications will not be considered

All successful applicants must submit a report within 12 months of completing the project describing how the funds were used

Failure to provide the appropriate reports within the stated time will result in the applicant becoming ineligible to applying for further SRF supported funding.

All successful applicants must acknowledge the SRF in any publications or presentations arising from work supported by this fund.

The main criteria will be the quality of the application, however if two applicants are equally rated, preference will be given to 1st time applicants.

How to apply:

Applications must be made using the online application form. At the top of the form, select the scholarship you are applying for from the dropdown menu.

To assist you in the preparation of your application, you will find templates of the application form for each of the three scholarships at the bottom of the online application page.